Wednesday, September 28th
The Business of Death
According to the Federation of American Scientists:
Half of the world’s governments spend more on defense than health care.
The U.S. share of total world military expenditures per year has been roughly 36 percent, while comprising under 5 percent of the world’s population.
The U.S. Arms Industry is the second most heavily subsidized industry after agriculture.
2001 world military expenditures topped $839 billion, while at the same time an estimated 1.3 billion people survive on less than the equivalent of $1 U.S.) a day.
The International Red Cross has estimated that one out of every two casualties of war is a civilian caught in the crossfire.
The United Nations estimates there to be over 300,000 child soldiers around the world, now serving as combatants in over 30 current conflicts.
The Center for International Policy estimates that around 80% of U.S. arms exports to the developing world go to non-democratic regimes.
There are more landmines planted in Cambodia than people. Cambodia is just one of 64 countries around the world littered with some 100 million anti-personnel landmines. Intended primarily to maim, landmines can lie in wait years after a conflict ends, causing 500 deaths and injuries per week.
The U.S. government is training soldiers in upwards of 70 countries at any given time
Chris on 09.28.05 @ 06:45 PM PST [link]
Wednesday, September 14th
Old Stuff
I've uploaded some old macromedia stuff. Until I have a chance to update the main menu, you can view them here:
Obie Media's Art Department 2001 - I did this while working at Obie Media.
Definitions 2002 - A look at company names and their definitions.
Sid Preview 1999 - I did this as I was writing my comic book. I was hoping to put the entire book on the web like this. HA! With the book at 130 pages and counting, I don't think that's going to happen. Sid started out working for a pizza company, but it became more convient to make her a truck driver in the current story. 
Jay Dakota's Poster Paranoia 1997 - Complete with spelling errors and undocumented plagerism. Hey, I was young...
Chris on 09.14.05 @ 01:09 PM PST [link]
Thursday, September 8th
New Orleans and the value of human life
How does a free market society value human life?
Our Federal Government (under the influence of the Bush administration and their corporate financiers) had no problem rushing hundreds of thousands of troops to the middle east to protect freedom. When, it is now clear that the reasons for war were prefabricated and our interests are only to protect the valuable oil reserves from falling into the "wrong" hands. Yet, the same "conservatives" lacked the ambition to adequately protect a major metropolitan city in the USA from a predictable natural disaster. Tens of thousands of people in poverty were left behind in an evacuation because they lacked the funds to leave.
When a hurricane hit Cuba in 2004, the Castro government evacuated 1.5 million people, more than 10 percent of the country’s population. The Cubans lost 20,000 homes to that hurricane—-but not a single life was lost.
We as a nation have to start thinking about the influence our government has on each individual's perceived place in society. In a nation that rewards power and individualism with luxury and opportunity, it's no wonder some citizens have no problem looting during a national crisis. Our free market government loots countries devastated from war and poverty. Be it diamonds in Africa or Oil in the Middle East, our institutions are setting examples that citizens will continue to mimic on a personal scale.
The American Flag stands for all Americans. People should be praised for the commitment to their family and community, not valued by their labor and bank account.
Chris on 09.08.05 @ 08:02 PM PST [link]